Disney has added Donald Trump to its Hall of Presidents attraction at Disney World. His addition comes later than expected.
- An animatronic President Trump has arrived at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
- The robotic Trump stands next to Abraham Lincoln, and remarks that "to be American is to be an optimist."
- Earlier this year, Disney was rumored to be reconsidering having the animatronic Trump deliver remarks, which would have represented a break with a tradition that dates to 1993. However, Trump recorded his own lines earlier this year.
The animatronic President Trump has arrived at the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida — and like every American president since Bill Clinton, the robotic Trump has a speaking role.
"Above all, to be American is to be an optimist — to believe that we can always do better — and that the best days of our great nation are still ahead of us," says Trump, in part, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "It’s a privilege to serve as the President of the United States, to stand here among so many great leaders of our past, and to work on behalf of the American people."
The Hall of Presidents is one of Disney World's oldest attractions, first opening in 1971. Visitors are treated to a short film on the history of the American presidency, followed by the grand reveal of exactingly-crafted audio-animatronic versions of every president to date. Lincoln, Washington, and the sitting president all deliver short speeches.
According to The New York Times, Trump "stands next to a seated Abraham Lincoln in the center of the stage with his signature hair, his suit jacket unbuttoned and his tie dangling extra low." While Disney hasn't yet released robo-Trump's full comments, you can watch a video preview of his appearance below.
Some fans who got an early look are sharing a closer look at the animatronic President Trump, as well:
The Hall of Presidents closed in January, shortly before Trump's inauguration. Originally, it was slated to reopen in late June, ahead of the Independence Day holiday. However, that date was pushed out, sparking rumors that Disney was rethinking giving President Trump a speaking role.
Disney denied those reports: "We have been working closely with the current White House — just as we have with previous administrations — and the president’s recording session has been scheduled," Disney said in a June blog entry.
Disney has included a new short film, titled "The Idea of a President,"with the attraction, according to the Sentinel report. The film highlights some of the major dilemmas faced by Washington, FDR, and others. It also "deals with stickier topics such as race relations and wage disparity," the Sentinel reported.
And if you were curious, here's what the robo-President Obama had to say when he was the centerpiece of the show during his years in office:
"The American dream is as old as our founding, but as timeless as our hopes. It is reborn every day in the heart of every child who wakes up in a land of limitless possibilities, in a country where 'we, the people' means all the people. We may come from different places and believe different things, but what makes us American is a shared spirit; a spirit of courage and determination; of kindness and generosity. It is a spirit grounded in the wisdom of the generations that have gone before us, but open to the unimagined discoveries and possibilities on the horizon that lies ahead. Let us enjoy it, cherish it, defend it, and pass it on to our children as the bright and beautiful blessing it is: this enduring American dream."